What I really want to tell him is to pick up that baby of his and hold her tight, to set the moon on the edge of her crib and to hang her name up in the stars.

You can be strapped to the most stable chair and still feel the world give way beneath you.

Forgiveness is spiritual. Punishment is legal," Leo says. "They're not mutually exclusive.

I have a sister, so I know-that relationship, it's all about fairness: you want your sibling to have exactly what you have-the same amount of toys, the same number of meatballs on your spaghetti, the same share of love. But being a mother is completely different. You want your child to have more than you ever did. You want to build a fire underneath her and watch her soar. It's bigger than words.

Why do some memories bleed out of nowhere and others stay locked behind doors?

There are two reasons not to tell the truth--becuase lying will get you what you want, and because lying will keep someone from getting hurt.

People believed what they wanted to believe, no matter what was right in front of their eyes.